ANISAKIASIS OF PSEUDOTOLITHUS ELONGATUS (BOBO CROAKER) AND BOSTRYCHUS AFRICANUS (SLEEPER GOBY) BY MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES, IN NIGERIA

Anisakis species species are identified by using molecular biology techniques due to the absen- ce larval diagnostic features in the fish host. This study identified anisakids by molecular techniques in Pseudotolithus elongatus and Bostrychus africanus caught from Rivers State. Parasite identification was accomplished at the Regional Center for Biotechnology and Bioresource Cent- er, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. NCBI blast confirmed Anisakis simplex, Anisakis brevispiculata from Pseudotolithus elongatus and Goezia spinulosa, and Raphidascaroides brasiliensis from B. africanus.